Apple Is On-Track To Ship 20 Million Bigger, 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 Handsets This Year

Apple might have given little away concerning its next-generation iPhone during yesterday’s software-centric WWDC keynote, but new information has nevertheless arrived in a report out of China. According to the report, Cupertino has been able to solve the battery issues surrounding its 5.5-inch iPhone 6 and is on-track to ship 20 million of the handsets this year.

This is good news for anyone looking to pick up a “phablet”-sized iPhone, though the figure does mean it could be harder to find a 5.5-inch handset when the iPhone 6 launches. The report, from Laoyaoba (via GforGames), claims that Cupertino is partnering with the China-based Sunwoda Electronics to manufacture batteries for 20 million 5.5-inch iPhone 6 devices.

GforGames notes:

Based on these fresh reports, Sunwoda is the one who will now have the task of supplying the company with the necessary batteries, and based on these reports, Sunwoda will have the responsibility to produce roughly 20 million batteries (each at 40 yuan -> roughly $6.4).

Apple’s usual battery supplier, Dynapack, will also help with orders, the report adds.

While we’d previously heard that the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 “could be delayed,” it now seems as if both Apple’s anticipated 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch handsets will launch around the same time. Though based on the figures cited in the aforementioned report, it could indeed prove difficult to find the larger device when Apple’s iPhone 6 launches later this year: the company is reportedly looking to manufacture 80 million iPhone 6 handsets for 2014, meaning the majority of handsets available would be the 4.7-inch variant — at least to begin with.